Billie Sucher Weblog

Three Lessons by Accident

Over the weekend, I delivered an Interview with Success program to college students from various schools around the state. My PowerPoint presentation comprised the first part of the program and the second part of the program was application, a chance for the students to put into practice what they had learned. As per usual, we all learned together...listed below are three lessons:

1. Near the end of my PowerPoint presentation, out of nowhere, the screen went dark and the PowerPoint quit working. The students were thrilled -- "time to take a break, hooray, yeah -- no more PowerPoint." As I shared with the class that the PowerPoint was almost over anyway, they said "good!" and "just tell us any important stuff." Great advice: just tell us any important stuff! -- a good lesson to remember when you're doing an interview (or a PowerPoint) presentation -- cut the fluff, the babble, and the filler. Your audience will thank you. Lesson 1.

2. As we were doing the interview practice, one of the students remarked that "all of our answers sound the same." Each student was practicing responses to the same six questions and as their turn to sit in the Hot Seat came about, there was a definitive pattern of sameness to the responses. When you present yourself in an interview, (for real; not practice) try to do your best to not sound like the candidates before you and the candidates after you in the eyes of the prospective employer. This can be achieved, in part, through the words you intentionally choose to shape your responses. For example, saying that you are "loyal, honest, and hardworking" will not make you memorable, as your competition will also be saying these very words. Visit O*net for good ideas of descriptors that align with your job target and that sound unlike everyone else. Lesson 2.

3. During the presentation, I invited the students to shake hands with one another if they felt comfortable in so doing. Most did. When I asked for feedback about their handshakes, most said "good, fine, okay." I then asked if anyone did not shake hands. One female student (Gen Y) said she did not because "I bumped." She showed us through example, saying that she uses the bump handshake to avoid germs. Her bump handshake then led to a discussion about how do you think this will go over in the workplace of today? Lesson 3.

Three good Interview with Success lessons we learned, quite by accident...

cross-posted at billiesucherblog

Wherever You Go, There You Are

What does the quote wherever you go, there you are mean to you? That quote came to mind the other day and I've been mulling it around from the perspective of a job seeker since.

Just how far would you go to get a job in these trying times? Would you lie? Would you cheat? Would you falsify information? Would you misrepresent yourself? Would you fake your references? Would you create a job history that was untruthful? Would you pretend to have a supervisor that never was? Would you create an employment background that didn't exist? Would you order a degree you didn't earn? Would you provide a phone number to a reference who turns out to be your best buddy posing as your former boss? Would you ask your friends, family, or professional network to lie for you just to get ahead in today's super-competitive job market?

Wherever you go, there you are...what does that mean to you? I don't know what it means to you, but here are a few ideas of what it means to me:

* You can try and be something you are not, but in the end (and in the beginning), you might as well let others see the real you. Wherever you go, there you are. And if the real you with your real assets and your real liabilities isn't the right fit for the opportunity at hand, keep moving, keep rolling, until something else materializes. As your Uncle Bob may have told you, there are plenty of fish.

* You cannot run away from your problems and challenges. You can try, but they will still be with you...wherever you go, there you are. Looking for a job is incredibly hard work and unbelievably overwhelming in this market. That said, do not compound your problems by letting them fester until you're in a real mess -- address them, take action; recognize and resolve.

* Love your brand or leave it! If you don't like brand you, re-brand yourself; it's never too late to do so, whether you're 22 or 62. Just as companies are scrambling to change in order to survive in today's bottom-line driven global market, so too can you. It is not easy to re-brand yourself; it can be done if you are committed to change to survive. Wherever you go, there you are.

Edgar Albert Guest, one of my favorite poets, wrote these 20+ lines in a poem titled Myself. His words of long ago are a good reminder for the job seeker of today...wherever you go, there you are...

The Road Trip and The Job Search

Saturday, July 4th, we took off headed east out of the city. Time for a road trip; our destination was a new resort area about three hours away. In between our doorstep and our destination, the trip was unscheduled and uncharted. We decided that whatever interesting thing, person, or place popped up along the way, that would become our plan. We'd just keep an open mind and see what we'd discover, or not, along the way.

The first thing we discovered, about 45 minutes into the trip, was a stalled car at a stop sign out in the middle of nowhere. My husband called out to the passenger, "Need some help?" to which the gentlemen replied, "No, we're good." As it turned out, the man we stopped to help was someone my husband knew, a customer, in fact. We waited to make sure they really were okay and then continued on.

We stopped at a small rural town that was getting ready for their 4th of July parade. A few vendors lined one side of the county courthouse yard. I bought a new dishcloth (handmade of the finest craftsmanship according to a woman named Dorothy) for $1.75. And an Eileen was selling baked goods and jams. Bought my youngest daughter a small loaf of banana bread for a buck. Then, Eileen proceeded to tell us about a lovely Amish variety store we should visit "plus, they have a  greenhouse and a cheese store nearby." We went. The variety store was as lovely as Eileen from the courthouse yard had offered. I spied a beautiful hibiscus, large and blooming; the young lady announced it would be $7.00 -- no discounts on the hibiscus today.

We continued wandering through the countryside and old back roads, heading in the general direction we needed to get to the resort. Pretty soon, we realized we were lost. Finally, we stopped at a farmhouse and announced to the farmer...."Um, yeah, we're lost" to which the farmer replied, "Yup, you are...have had quite a few of you lost folks come around today." He smiled and laughed and told us how to backtrack and what roads to avoid because of detours, roadwork and once again, we were on our way.

As we were eating a late lunch at the beautiful new resort, we met a woman who told us she was visiting there because she needed to "get away" -- everyday she goes to work wondering if today is the day she'll lose her job. We met a lovely couple who the night before had camped at a state park, only to get drenched by heavy rains. They were staying the night at the new resort, telling us that as "walk-ins" they were charged only half the room price since they hadn't booked in advance. Good to know.

Perhaps you wonder where this post is going, or its career and job search relevance? It does connect. As we were driving home, I was thinking about the good, fun and most of all, relaxing day we'd had and these thoughts drifted through my mind:

1. You don't always have to have a plan to have a great time
2. Be open to new things, new people and new experiences
3. Sometimes you have to wander to realize that you're headed the wrong way
4. Meet someone new and maybe they'll offer you a little tip about something good
5. Ask people who know more than you do about something and their insights may prove helpful
6. It's okay if you get lost because you might meet a nice person who will turn you around and put you back on the right track
7. When you get lost, stop sooner than later, and ask for directions from a reliable source
8. If one road is closed because of a detour, find a new route to your destination
9. If someone is broken down in their car, or life, or whatever, lend a hand; offer to help and then go ahead and wait a little bit to make sure they really are okay.

Oh, and one other thing...less than 10 bucks will buy you a new dishcloth, a new hibiscus, and some really good banana bread.

Rock Your Network for Job Seekers

According to Wendy J. Terwelp, Career Coach and Personal Branding Strategist, "it's not what you know; it's who you know that gets you hired. We've all heard this phrase so many times our ears are bleeding, right? Here are the facts: more than 70% of people land new careers through networking.

Got no time? Who says networking has to be a two-hour lunch meeting? Here's a secret, you can rebuild your network using just five minutes a day!

Looking for a job? Reconnect with your network and help them succeed. If you help enough people get what they want, you'll get what you want.

Currently employed? Build an internal network to help you snag your next promotion."

Wendy's new book, Rock Your Network for Job Seekers, will help you rebuild your network in five minutes a day! It contains absolutely everything you need to network including advice, tips, scripts, ways, action items and a template to create your own rock star profile. Wendy's book also details the ONE SECRET that ensures your network is there for you when you need it. To order, you have a choice of e-book or print: www.knocks.com/RYNbook.htm

Oh, Say Can You See...

Last evening over on Twitter, I posted:

"Someone actually said this to me today: I didn't know that the 4th of July is aka Independence Day."

It reminded me, once again, about not assuming anything. That said, let's just assume that you're going on an interview today, tomorrow or Monday; the 4th of July is a popular topic right now. Further, let's just assume that the hiring manager should happen to randomly ask you one, or more, of these questions during your interview:

1. Tell me about the Declaration of Independence and what it means to you and your career, to date?
2. Who is credited with writing the Declaration of Independence, and then tell us about your writing skills and what we might expect?
3. How many people signed the Declaration of Independence and along those lines, do you see yourself as a team leader, or a team member?
4. How many women signed the Declaration of Independence and do you prefer to be supervised and supported by a male or a female mentor?
5. What were the occupations of the people who signed the Declaration of Independence and to what occupation do you aspire?
6. See this miniature flag on my desk? How many stripes does it contain and how do you feel about follow-up and details?
7. In what year was the current USA flag conceived and by whom and then share with us how you integrate creativity and innovation into your daily work life?
8. Tell us how many stars there are in the USA flag; do you think you are a star quality candidate and what number would you affix to you and your brand on a scale of 1-10 -- (1 poor and 10 perfect)?

Have a safe, happy and wonderful Fourth of July holiday!